Some of the world's elite squash players will find themselves on a plane out of the Island after just one match in next month's Bermuda Open.

Yesterday's draw to determine the first round of action in the prestigious tournament's 16-man main draw has pitted some of the sport's best exponents against each other and, with the knockout format, some top players will be packing their bags very early.

World number one, Thierry Lincou of France, will be up against England's Nick Matthew, currently ranked 12th while world number three John White of Scotland faces Englishman and world number 13 James Willstrop.

Fanatics of the gruelling, fast-paced sport will be salivating at the prospect of new world champion Amr Shabana of Egypt going up against talented Malaysian Ong Beng Hee. The latter, who won last year's Bermuda Open before it was on the Professional Squash Association (PSA) calendar, is the world number 14 while his opponent is the world number five.

Four main-draw players will not know their rivals until after the Open's qualifying tournament, having been drawn against players who will advance from that.

However, Tournament Director Ross Triffitt warned that given the pedigree and rankings of players in the qualifier, there will be no smooth sailing for anyone.

"It's a very exciting event. We have the top seven in the world and eight of the top ten in the world. So there's no question every match is going to be of the highest standard.

"There will be no easy matches ? not even those players who have drawn qualifiers. The fact that all the qualifiers are ranked in the top 38 in the world, it's going to be a very strong field and a very deep event as far as talent goes," he said, speaking at a press conference at the Hamilton Princess.

One superstar who may be counting his blessings, though, is former world champion, Peter Nicol of England, who is drawn against Bermudian pro Nick Kyme who received a wild card into the main draw. The world number two would be favoured to overcome the local top gun whom he thrashed at the 2002 Commonwealth Games.

Given the calibre of squash pros who have been lured to this competition hoping to boost their rankings, PSA Chief Executive Officer Gawain Briars noted fans would be treated to some of the most awesome squash they had ever seen.

"The Open coming in as a five-star event in its first year will be substantial in its effect on the world rankings and the player entries received.

"World rankings inevitably generate far greater input by players in terms of their commitment to win. While they may be great ambassadors for the sport when they play in invitationals, when they are in PSA events ? and their livelihood is on the line ? you will see greater competitiveness. You will have the very best of them."

It would be, he predicted, a "marquee event for sport in Bermuda in terms of professional presentation and promotion" and will have invaluable tourism spin-off.

The PSA World Tour Technical Executive, Robert Edwards, agreed about the benefits which Bermuda stands to reap, disclosing that televised highlights of the Open would be broadcast to 375 million homes worldwide.

The tournament, he said, would take squash in Bermuda to a "much higher level" and confirm it's "the finest racquet sport in the world".